


Anything Can Happen in the Woods

by dkwilliams



Category: Grimm (TV), Highlander: The Series, Into the Woods (2014)
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Fairy Tale Style, M/M, Magical Artifacts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-16 20:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13061691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dkwilliams/pseuds/dkwilliams
Summary: What if all of the stories we’ve heard – what if they’re not stories?  What if they’re real?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pat_t](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pat_t/gifts).



> **About this story:** Pat mentioned Grimm in the crossover lists, and although I'm only on Season 2, I thought it would be fun to do. Then I rewatched "Into the Woods" and a crazy sort of idea was born. This is the result. It's not quite Grimm but I hope it has a bit of the flavor of it.
> 
>  
> 
> _“Anything can happen in the woods -_  
>  _May I kiss you?_  
>  _Any moment we could be crushed._  
>  _Don’t feel rushed.”_
> 
>  
> 
> _"This is ridiculous – what am I doing here –_  
>  _I’m in the wrong story!”_  
>  Lyrics from “Into the Woods”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Just as he was going to lie down, the eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine. Then he laid himself down on his bed, and in a little while fell fast asleep._
> 
>  
> 
> from "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" by the Brothers Grimm

Duncan MacLeod followed the maître d’ of the Raven & Rose  to the table where the widow of his old friend, Jonathon Tremaine, sat waiting. 

“Mrs. Tremaine,” he said, taking her hand in his.  “I'm sorry for your loss.  Jon was a good man, and a good friend.”

Mrs. Tremaine squeezed his hand gratefully and smiled up at him through the tears in her carefully tinted lashes.  She was a stunning beauty, hardly betraying her age, although Duncan felt that there was something calculating in her eyes.   “The best of men, and so good to my daughters – quite as if they were his own.”

“And how is Cyndi taking the loss?” he asked as he took his seat across from her, thinking of Jonathon’s daughter from his first marriage.  “I haven’t seen her since she was very small; I know she was very close to her father.”

Mrs. Tremaine’s lips tightened.  “You would hardly know that, given how she’s behaving!  Her father barely cold in his grave and she’s insisting on going through with her wedding – and how we’re going to pay for it, I’m sure I don’t know!”

“I thought Jonathon’s business was doing very well,” Duncan said, frowning.  “That’s what he said the last time I was here in Portland.” 

Mrs. Tremaine shrugged as she unfolded her napkin and draped it across her lap.  “Oh, the business is doing well, I suppose, although how Jonathon thought that I would be able to manage it without him…”  She sighed deeply.  “And then his partner had that dreadful accident while out hiking.“

“I heard about that.  He was attacked by some kind of animal in the woods?”

“So the police said,” she replied.  “So you can see that I am quite at a loss.  That’s why I called you.  Jonathon said you were a very clever businessman, and I thought perhaps you could give me some advice.”

“I’m afraid that I don’t know much about artisan breads – “ Duncan began.

Mrs. Tremaine waved her hand dismissively.  “Oh, we have bakers who make the actual product,” she said.  “But the marketing is all a tangle now that Fred is gone.  I thought it might be best to find someone to buy us out, only I don’t know how to go about finding a buyer or putting a value to the business.  I thought…I hoped….” She reached out her hand across the table beseechingly.  “Mr. MacLeod, could you at least take a look at the factory and the main shop?  Give me professional advice?  You’re a friend of the family – I’d trust your opinion.”

Duncan smiled and patted her hand reassuringly.  “Of course.  I’d be glad to help.  And please, call me Duncan.”

“If you’ll call me Laura,” she replied, smiling and tilting her head archly as she said that. 

It was one of the most uncomfortable dinners that Duncan had ever had, as Laura chatted almost without stop, though not about much of interest to him.  Her favorite topics of conversation seemed to be her two daughters, how lovely and talented they were, and what a shame it was that the young men of Portland were not of the right caliber to appreciate them.  Her step-daughter’s fiancé was a particular sore point of hers as the young man – apparently heir to one of the richest men in Portland – had first dated one of Laura’s daughters before being stolen away by Cyndi.  How much of that was true and what was spite was unclear, but Duncan was glad when the meal was over. 

As Duncan escorted Laura Tremaine out of the restaurant and towards the taxi stand, it was clear that she’d imbibed more of the wine that she could handle for her steps grew more unsteady by the moment.  The old-fashioned gentleman in MacLeod couldn’t just abandon her to the uncertain care of the taxi driver, so he got into the cab with her and gave the driver the address.  Once he’d seen her into the house she seemed to recover a bit and she insisted on a sharing a nightcap before he left, which he reluctantly agreed to.

As she poured their drinks he said, “I can meet you at the shop in the morning, to look over the books and see how the factory is doing.  What time would be best?”

“Oh, any time,” she replied airily, handing him his drink.  “My time is entirely free tomorrow.  Unless – do you have to get back to Seacouver immediately?  Your wife will be expecting you when?”

Duncan took a swallow of his drink and shook his head.  “My time is my own,” he replied.  “I’m not married.”

Laura’s smile widened into something that was entirely predatory  and her eyes seemed to glitter strangely.  “That’s what I was hoping.”

Duncan frowned at her words and then said, hastily, “Oh.  No, you misunderstand.  I mean, you’re very attractive and…I’m…I’m sure that you’re…”  Words seemed to escape him and his mouth felt dry, fuzzy.  He took another sip of his drink to clear his throat.  “You are no doubt…a very fine person…but…”

The world began spinning, and Duncan’s last thought as his glass tumbled out of his hand was that the wine was going to leave a terrible stain on the carpet.

 

* * *

 

Duncan drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of two things: his head ached and there were voices nearby.  Women's voices, in bits and pieces.

 

"He's _rich_ , and a _husband_.  _That's_ what's important...when you're married you'll never have to ...""

" But why does _Flora_ get .... and I get the _bakery!_ "

"...just a little while.  And you'll make such a lovely widow...."

 

"He's waking up, Mother!"

"...should be out for another couple of hours...might as well give him the Zaub...now.”

“Didn’t the - _you know_ \- say to wait till morning?"

"I don't think we have a choice.  Open his mouth."

 

Despite all of Duncan’s efforts, he couldn’t move, couldn't struggle.  He blinked his eyes open, saw two blonde women bending over him.  Something was poured into his mouth, something cloying and sweet.  He struggled to spit it out but a hand was slapped over his mouth, forcing him to swallow or choke.  Then the hand was removed and replaced by lips, warm against his own, for a brief kiss.

“Are you sure this will work, Mother?”

“Of course it will.  The Hexenbeist said he won't remember anything about his past for three days, during which time you must get him to kiss you back of his own free will and claim you as his true love.  Once that happens, nothing on earth will be able to break the bond between you.”

 

Then all faded into darkness.


	2. The First Dawn and Little Red Cap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!"_   
>  _"The better to eat you with!"_   
>  _And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up Red-Cap._
> 
>  
> 
> from "Little Red-Cap" by the Brothers Grimm

Duncan MacLeod woke from an uneasy sleep to find himself in an unfamiliar bed.  It was early morning and there was something...something he needed to remember.

"You're awake!"

He sat up and turned to stare at the beautiful blonde woman in the doorway.  "Um - yes?"

Her pretty brow crinkled.  “Aren't you feeling better, darling?  The hex - the doctor said you should feel better after you slept."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Lucy!"  Her face got even more alarmed.  "Don't you remember me?  Oh, God, it's gotten worse!"  She came closer to the bed, wringing her hands and looking panicked.  "You were supposed to be remembering me, and our marriage!"  She bit her lip at that.

"We're married?" Duncan asked, very confused now.

"Oh yes!" Lucy waved her hand in front of his eyes, the gold ring on her finger catching his eyes.  “We were married last month.  The amnesia happened shortly after we returned from our honeymoon.  You were attacked in the woods, when you were taking a walk.  You took quite a blow to the head - so amnesia."

"Amnesia," Duncan said flatly.   Something didn't sound right.  He'd known - yes, there was something about a friend and memory loss - but it wasn't _him_.  He was certain of that - and yet, he also couldn't remember anything before waking up a few minutes earlier.

She nodded vigorously.  "Should I - should I get more medicine?  Or - I'll call Moth- the doctor.  Yes.  Don't do anything!"

Lucy hurried out of the room.  Duncan sat for a moment, bewildered, and then got out of bed.  He was a bit surprised to see that he'd gone to bed in his shirt and pants, both of which were extremely wrinkled now.  He found his clothes hanging in the closet and socks and underwear in the drawer, although it seemed to be a scant wardrobe for a man of his age.  He took the clothes into the bathroom where he found an old-fashioned goblet on the counter.  It was empty but there were the dried remains of something at the bottom, and it smelled vaguely familiar.  His medicine, then. 

After locking the door, he stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower.  He washed quickly, carefully probing his head for a tender spot but didn't find anything.  Considering the severity of his amnesia, he expected there would have been something, but then he wasn't a doctor.  So unless he healed extremely quickly....

He paused in washing and considered that thought, which seemed to ring true deep inside.  So if he did heal quickly, if there was no lingering damage, why couldn't he remember?

He dried and dressed, exiting the bathroom to find Lucy sitting on the bed.  She looked relieved at the sight of him but also a little frightened.

"I talked to Moth- the doctor, and she wants me to come over there.  To her office.  To get a different kind of medicine," she said quickly.

Duncan frowned.  "Doesn't she want to check me out first?  Take some lab samples?"

"No, no, she's got everything she needs.  But it might, um, it might take a little while.  To make up the po- medicine.  So..."  Lucy paused and then smiled brightly.  "So I'm going to have lunch with Mother!  I haven't seen her since - the wedding."

"All right.  I'll stay here."  Duncan walked over to the window, looking down onto an unfamiliar street.  Across the way was a large wooded area, and he could see the start of a pathway leading into an unfamiliar woods. "Where is 'here'?"

"Northwest Portland," Lucy said without thinking, then added,  "In our - our apartment, above the family bakery, of course."

"Bakery."  That sounded familiar; he remembered something about a bakery.

"My father's," she said helpfully.  "That's how we met - you came to Portland to help my father run the bakery.  Well, not the baking - we have a factory for that - but the business.  Then when Daddy died, and then Uncle Fred..." She paused and sniffled, wiping away a tear.  "You were _so_ helpful, and kind to us.  To me.  We fell in love and, well." She smiled at him, fluttering her lashes.

"I don't remember any of that," he said cautiously.  "But I'm sure that I will, in time."  He glanced out the window again and saw that a few people were gathering on the sidewalk outside.  "It looks like we have customers.  Should we open the shop?"

"Oh, Cyndi does that!" Lucy said airily, gathering up a purse and slipping on expensive looking shoes.  "You should just...stay in bed for a bit, till you feel better.  Bye, Dunkie!"

She blew him a kiss and hurried down the stairs.  Duncan wrinkled his nose at the idea of marrying anyone who would call him 'Dunkie', but maybe that was her pet name for him.  Deciding that a familiar routine might help him remember, he put on his shoes and went downstairs.

 

* * *

 

The shop was a pleasant surprise, a warm and cozy interior replete with the aroma of fresh baked goods, and it seemed a little familiar.   A young man was carrying in trays of baked goods from a van parked on the street and loading them into the glass case.  A young woman whose name tag identified her as Cyndi was at the register, taking orders, and Duncan went to help her.  It was quite enjoyable, and talking with the customers as he fetched their orders felt familiar in a way, even if he didn't recall the names of any of their specialty breads and rolls.  He wondered if his work was more behind-the-scenes, like keeping the books, but their cashier clearly needed the extra hands.

Once the morning rush was over, Cyndi got out a broom and dust pan and began sweeping out the shop.  Duncan found a damp washcloth and wiped down the tables, then straightened the chairs.  He wondered if Cyndi could give him any more information about his past and, as she started cleaning the display cases, he joined her.

"How long have you been working here?" he asked her. 

"Nearly all my life," she said with a faint smile.  "The shop belonged to my parents; I've helped out since Mother died."

"Then Lucy is your...?"

"Step-sister," Cyndi said shortly, tightening her lips. 

"Oh." There was an awkward silence.  "I think...have I met you before today?"  He had a vague impression of a small dark-haired girl with a shy smile playing on the floor of this very shop, but then it was gone.  "When you were little?"

Cyndi nodded.  "You knew Father, years ago." She continued to clean in silence for a moment.  "Lucy and Flora and my Step-mother want to sell the shop -- you won't let them, will you?  That must be why you married her - to help with the business."  Her face colored suddenly in embarrassment.  "Oh!  I'm sorry, I don't mean that you can't - don't - love Lucy but, well - it was all very sudden!"

Duncan sighed and then shrugged.  "I'm afraid that I can't remember much of that.  I was injured - "

"So Lucy said," Cyndi said flatly, and Duncan had the distinct impression that she didn't care for her step-sister. 

"I suppose I've been in the hospital until last night," Duncan said. 

Cyndi gave him an odd look but then the bell jangled and she slipped behind the register.  From then on they were busy, until after the lunch rush.  Feeling a bit hungry, Duncan went up to the apartment's kitchen and, finding a casserole in the fridge, put it in the microwave to heat.  He went back downstairs just as the bell over the door chimed again, and he returned to the front of the shop.

A young girl stood at the display case, looking down at what remained on the shelves.  She had an old-fashioned basket on one arm and a bright red knitted cap on her head, and she smiled brightly at him as she held out a crisp five dollar bill.

"Some bread, if you please, Mr. Baker," the girl said, setting the basket on the counter.  "I'm going to visit my grandmother.  She's been ill, and I'm taking her some bread.  Or maybe rolls," she added, eyeing the display case again with indecision.

"Why not both?" Duncan said, fetching a small loaf of twisted bread as well as several soft rolls.

"Oh, but I couldn't - " the girl protested, although her hand lingered over a plate of cookies longingly.  At his encouraging nod, she took one and bit into it hungrily.

Duncan set the rest of the items in her basket and handed the money to Cyndi.  "I insist.  Where does your grandmother live?"

"In the middle of the woods," the girl said, gesturing towards the forest across the street.  "That path leads straight to Granny's house."

"Those woods?" Duncan asked, giving the forest a dubious look.  "Are you sure that they're safe?"

"Oh, they're perfectly safe, as long as you're certain of your path," Cyndi chimed in, and there was a dreamy expression on her face.  Duncan suspected that the cashier had a boyfriend that she met up with in those woods. 

He turned to the young girl.  "Are you sure you know your way?"

She nodded vigorously.  "The way is clear and the light is good.  I'm not afraid.  And I'll be home before dark."

"And you have no one to go with you?" he asked, worried.  There was something in the back of his mind, something he'd read or heard about a man being attacked by...bears? Wolves?  Big Foot? Something dangerous.  He wondered if these woods were where he'd been attacked.

"I'll be fine," the girl said stoutly, then touched her bright red cap.  "My cap has magic spells to protect me."

"Magic spells," Duncan said flatly.  "That's it.  I'm going with you, as far as your grandmother's."  He turned to Cyndi.  "Will you be all right tending the shop alone?"

"I usually am," she said with a sigh and then glanced at the clock.  "We close at four.  I'm to meet with my fiance and his family for dinner - "

"If I'm not back before you have to leave just close up early," Duncan said, then recalled the casserole.   He hurried up to the kitchen and came back with the dish, wrapped in a cloth. "This will help your sick grandmother, along with the bread."  He put it in the basket, under the bread, then he lifted the basket to carry it for her. 

He followed the young girl out of the shop and across the street to the start of the path into the woods.  She didn't hesitate for a moment, plunging down the path at a skipping pace, and he hurried to keep up with her.

"What's your name?" he asked before they had ventured very far.

"They call me Red," the girl said, "because of my cap.  And you are the Baker - but I've never seen you at the shop before today."

"I'm not really a baker," Duncan began.  "It's complicated.  I'm married to the baker's daughter but I've lost my memory so I'm not actually certain of a lot of things."

Red curled her nose.  "I don't think I'd like to be married.  Kissing and such."

"You get used to it," Duncan said drily.  "So why does your Granny live in the middle of the woods?  It seems a bit...odd."

Red shrugged.  "She likes the privacy, I suppose, and I don't think she likes Mother." 

"Ah."  Duncan could see a cottage ahead of them and he pointed at it.  "Is that your grandmother's house?"

"Yes - but why is the door open?  Granny never leaves it open -  too many 'things' in the woods, she says."

Red raced ahead towards the cottage, calling out for her Granny.  Duncan hurried after her, calling for her to wait, then came to a stop as a man stepped out of the cottage.  He was a stranger, tall and thin with sharp features, but something about him was...familiar.  And there was an odd sort of ringing in his head, a sound that was also a feeling, like he'd been shocked by static electricity.

"Who are you?" Red demanded.  "Where's Granny?  Are you the Wolf?"

"Wolf?" the man replied, puzzled.  "Oh, the _Blutbad_.  No, he's inside, tied up.  Your Granny's a bit worse for wear but she's alive.  I was passing by when I heard her scream."

Red raced past him into the cottage and the man stepped towards Duncan with a smile.  "Well, hello!  Fancy meeting _you_ here, Duncan MacLeod!"

Duncan frowned as he studied the man's face again.  "I'm sorry - do I know you?" 

The smile fell off of the man's face and he said something, the tone of his voice harsh, but the words were like gibberish. 

Duncan shook his head.  "I'm sorry - I don't understand what you just said."  The man said another word, this time questioning, and Duncan said, quickly, "I've - something's happened and I've lost most of my memory.  You are..."

"Adam," the man said after a moment, and this time the word was clear and his voice pleasant to the ear.  "We've met a few times in the past."  He gestured at the basket that Duncan was carrying and said, "Visiting Granny, are you?"

"I was accompanying Red; I didn't think a young girl should be wandering around the woods alone."

"Especially not these woods, although that certainly sounds like the usual 'MacLeod' thing to do," Adam muttered, looking around.  He rubbed his forehead.  "Okay, it looks like we have a bit of a problem.  I need to call Joe - after we get rid of Granny and Company.  I'll call the police; there's a forestry service road around back."

Duncan walked past him into the cottage where Red was comforting an elderly woman.  She looked more shaken than injured, although there appeared to be a few scratches on her arms and - was that a bite mark?  He looked around for her attacker and saw a rough-looking man lying on the floor, trussed up with the curtain ties and looking like he'd come out the worst in a fight.  Nearby lay a sword which Adam quickly scooped up. 

Red's face lit up as she watched Adam. "Oh!  You're the Woodsman!"

"Yes, well, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that part to the police," Adam said, and the sword disappeared in the blink of an eye, though Duncan didn't see where it went.

 

* * *

 

The police were there shortly, several men in uniform as well as two plain-clothed detectives.

"Detective Nick Burkhardt," said one of the detectives, "and this is my partner, Detective Hank Griffin.  What can you tell us about the attack?"

Adam spoke up first.  "I was hiking, heading towards the Stone House, when I heard a woman scream.  I ran over here - the door was open, and inside I saw that man," he pointed to the man that the police were handcuffing, "was trying to bite an elderly woman.  I grabbed a cane from the umbrella stand and hit him over the head, then tied him up using the curtain ties."

"That's when I arrived," Duncan added.  "I was escorting Red to her grandmother's house.  The place was just like it was when you arrived."

"Are you related to the young lady?" Detective Griffin asked.

Duncan shook his head.  "I just met her today, I think.  She came into my bakery - Tremaine Breads & Rolls - to buy some things for her sick grandmother."

"And you just decided to walk her to her Granny's house?" Detective Griffin said, skepticism evident in his voice.

"It didn't seem safe, letting a young girl walk through such heavy woods alone," Duncan said, trying not to get defensive. 

"It's actually a very common thing for him to do," Adam interrupted.  "MacLeod's a bit of a Boy Scout that way."

"You know each other?" Detective Burkhardt asked, his gaze sharpening as he looked over each of them. 

"Off and on, for several years," Adam said readily.  "I'd heard that MacLeod was in the area so I was thinking about looking him up while I was in Portland."

"And 'home' for you is usually...?" Burkhardt inquired.

"Paris," Adam said readily.  "I have a research position with the University there - ancient languages is my specialty."'

"And you're in Portland on business?" Griffin asked, his skepticism still on display.

"Inter-library loan." As both Burkhardt and Griffin raised their eyebrows Adam said, indignantly, "It's a very _old_ book!"

Both detectives exchanged a look and then turned to Duncan.  "And you, Mr. MacLeod?" Burkhardt asked.

"I - my wife's family owns Tremaine Breads & Rolls."

"Your wife?" Adam asked sharply.  "When did you get married?"

"A month ago," Duncan replied, reluctantly.  "So I was told."  All three men frowned at that answer and he added quickly, "I have amnesia.  I was attacked a few weeks ago - in these woods, apparently.  I don't remember anything from before this morning."

"Right," Detective Griffin said.  "I guess that's all for now."

"Don't leave town," Burkhardt added.  "In case we have any more questions."  He turned to Granny, now that the paramedics had finished with her.  "We'll take your statement at the hospital," he told her.  "You might want to stay somewhere else until you've recovered, in case your attacker has friends."

She nodded, then looked squarely at Adam.  "You will watch my home for a few days, till I can return.  It's important that my cottage not be left empty."

Adam shrugged.  "Sure.  I just got into town and haven't had time to check into a hotel."

"Miss - Red," Griffin said to the younger girl, "can we drop you at home?"

"I'll go with Granny to the hospital," Red said firmly.  As the others left the cottage, she paused for a moment in front of Adam.  

"Here, I want you to have this, Mr. Woodsman," she said and pulled off her cap.  "You saved Granny's life."  She handed the cap to him, along with her basket, then turned to Duncan.  "And thank you, Mr. Baker, for guiding me through the woods.  I hope your life gets less complicated."  Then she left, followed by the policemen.

He turned to Duncan and raised an eyebrow.  "What did she mean by that?"

Duncan sighed.  "It's not easy to explain."

Adam held up the basket.  "Well, I've got time and what appears to be a basked of food.  Why don't you tell me your story over dinner?"

That sounded like a wonderful idea and Duncan smiled at him.  "And you can tell me how you ended up in the woods of Portland just in time to stop a - a what?"

"A _Blutbad_."

"A _Blutbad_ from eating Red and her Granny."

"That, Duncan MacLeod, sounds like a good plan."  Adam glanced around the cottage.  "I wonder if Granny has any beer or wine..."

 

* * *

 

Dinner was surprisingly good and Adam's conversation even better.  He was funny and clever, with a droll sense of humor.  Within a few minutes, Duncan felt at ease, which seemed to add up to them being friends.

"So, married," Adam said finally, setting down their second beers.  "Tell me about the new Mrs. MacLeod."

"Is there another Mrs. MacLeod?" Duncan asked, alarmed. 

"Not that I know about - although I didn't know about this one, either."  Methos took a long pull of his beer.  "How did you end up married?  And how did you lose your memory?"

Duncan sighed.  "I don't remember the first - I was a friend of Lucy's step-father, and she says that when he died I came to Portland to help them sort out his business."  He paused and frowned.  Lucy had said "father" but Duncan was almost certain that Tremaine was her step-father.  Could that be a memory coming back?  Or was it because Lucy and Cyndi were so different in looks but about the same age. 

"We were married a month ago and when we got back from the honeymoon, I was attacked while on a walk and lost my memory."

Adam straightened up at that.  "Attacked how?  In a sword fight?"

Duncan frowned.  "Why would I be in a sword fight?"

"Why, indeed?" Adam muttered.

"And why do _you_ have a sword?"

"For protection, obviously.  It's a dangerous world."

Duncan sighed.  "Nothing makes sense anymore.  I feel like I'm in someone else's story."

Adam leaned back in his chair, his eyes sharp on Duncan's face.  "Maybe you are," he said cryptically.  "I'll see what I can find out.  In the meantime, it's going to be dark before long.  We should get you back to your shop before the Missus gets worried."  
 

* * *

Lucy wasn't worried so much as she was furious. 

"Why did you go out, and into the woods?" she demanded.  "You don't know the area - you could have gotten lost!  You could have been attacked and killed this time!"

"Fortunately, I ran into the police on my walk," Duncan said drily as he sat down on the bed to remove his shoes.  "I'm sure that Detective Burkhardt would have escorted me home if I'd needed it."

Lucy went even paler and muttered something about it being grim, which Duncan thought was seriously over-reacting.  He hadn't even told her about the man attacking Granny, or about Red - and certainly nothing about Adam.

"Here," she said shortly, shoving the goblet from the bathroom towards him.  "It's the new medicine from the doctor."

"Fancy cup for medicine," he said, taking it from her.  "Silver, isn't this?  Good thing I'm not a werewolf."

She started at that then forced a laugh.  "Drink that.  You'll feel better in the morning."

Duncan took a sip and made a face.  It wasn't terribly bad-tasting but it was a little cloying.  He managed to drink the rest of it without it coming back up, then handed the cup back to her.  Lucy leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss against his lips before turning away and going into the bathroom.  He frowned and touched his lips; something about that kiss felt familiar.

Sudden fatigue overwhelmed him, and before he could think about changing into pajamas, he had collapsed back on the bed and was fast asleep.


	3. The Second Dawn and a Boy Named Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _On his way to the market, the boy met a stranger._   
>  _"I will give you five magic beans for your cow," the stranger offered._   
>  _When he returned home, his mother was furious and reprimanded him sternly: "Only a fool would exchange a cow for five beans."_

Duncan MacLeod woke from an uneasy sleep to find himself in an unfamiliar bed.  It was early morning and there was something...someone he needed to talk to.

"Well, you're finally awake!"

He sat up and turned to stare at the beautiful blonde woman in the doorway.  She was vaguely familiar and she was about five months pregnant.  "Um - yes?"  A vague thought drifted through the fog and he said, tentatively, "Lucy?"

"You must be feeling better," she said, coming over to the bed, looking relieved that he knew her name.  "And before you ask, again, you were attacked a year ago, just after we were married.  You lost your memories of everything before the attack.  Since then, you've been getting better.  But then you push yourself, trying to recover your lost memories, and it causes a brain-fever, and it wipes your memory again."  She sat beside him.  "You get so sick, Duncan - it makes me so worried for you."

Duncan awkwardly put an arm around her.  "I'm sorry, Lucy."

She turned an imploring look up at him.  "Can't you just accept that those memories are gone?  Can't you just be happy with me, with our child?  Can't we make new memories for the future."

He didn't know what to say to that but something kept him from giving her the reassurance she sought.  And it seemed to him that he could remember the previous day just fine - walking Red to her Granny's and then meeting Adam.  But then, how improbable were those events?  Maybe it was all a dream.

Lucy stood up and rubbed her belly absently.  "I'm going to go into town, to visit Mother and do some shopping for the baby.  Will you be all right while I'm gone?"

"Yes," he replied.  Even if it had been a dream, the part about working in the shop was so vivid that he thought he could handle it, with Cyndi's help.

"And stay out of the woods," Lucy said, turning to the closet.  Duncan could hear her muttering something about "not working" and "better plan" as she grabbed her bag and flounced down the stairs. 

Duncan made his way into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror.  He had slept in his clothes which seemed an odd thing for him to do, but other than that he looked healthy.  Certainly not a man who was suffering from a severe brain injury. 

He sighed and stripped off his wrinkled clothes and stepped into the shower.  His head felt fine, not tender anywhere, and his body looked fit as well.  His clothes were hanging in the closet, but surely he had more than two sets of clothing to his name?  Maybe the rest of his things were in the laundry?

Giving up the attempt to make sense of his world, he went downstairs to the store.

The shop was still closed and, although the young man was loading the trays and bins, there was no sign of Cyndi who ran the register.  The delivery man just shrugged when Duncan asked about her and continued his work. 

There was already a line forming outside the door so Duncan unlocked it and set to work filling the customer orders.  It was much harder doing this alone and he felt sympathy for the times that Cyndi had done this on her own.  He resolved to ask Lucy about her step-sister later, when she returned from visiting her mother.

 

* * *

Once the lunch rush ended, Duncan made himself a sandwich and took it outside to eat it at one of the cafe tables.  He looked across at the park and wondered if Adam was still there, but if a year had passed then that was unlikely.  The other man had mentioned Paris as being his home, but it was a big city and Duncan didn't even know the man's last name.  It would be impossible to find him - and impossible to even travel to Paris if he lost his memory each morning.

While he was sitting there and pondering his lost past, a young boy slowly walked down the sidewalk towards him.  That might not have been remarkable except for the fact that the boy was leading a cow.

"Excuse me," Duncan said, stopping the boy.  "Where are you going with that cow?"

The boy sighed and dropped into the chair across from Duncan, looking mournfully over at the cow.  "I'm taking her to the butcher on the other side of the woods."  He eyed the remains of the sandwich and said, "Are you gonna finish that?"

"Are you hungry?" Duncan asked, pushing the plate towards the boy.  The boy nodded as he wolfed down the remains of Duncan's lunch.  "Wait a minute, then!" 

He went into the shop and grabbed several rolls from the day-old basket and a bottle of milk.  Then, without really noticing that he'd made up his mind, grabbed the key and locked the door behind him.

"Here," he said, setting the rolls down on the plate in front of the boy.  He opened the bottle of milk and set it down beside the plate as well.  "What's your name?"

"Jack."  The boy picked up the bottle and sighed.  "Milky-white stopped giving milk two weeks ago.  Without the money we got from selling her milk, we'll starve.  Mother says we have to sell her but she's my only friend."  He reached over and affectionately rubbed the cow's neck.

"And you have to go through the woods - those woods - to get to the butcher's shop?" Duncan asked, pointing towards the woods across the street. Jack nodded.  "I'll walk with you, then.  The woods aren't safe on your own, and I could use the walk.  And I think you could use the company?"

Jack nodded again and, pocketing two of the rolls, rose to his feet.  "Best be going.  Mother said to be home before dark and it's a bit of a walk."

They entered the woods and walked along the same path that Duncan remembered from his previous visit.  Given the size of the forest, he was a bit surprised that the same path seemed to lead past the cottage in the woods.  A cottage, in front of which Adam was sitting - polishing a sword? 

"Adam!  You're still here!" Duncan said, striding forward with a smile.  So far, this had been the best thing to happen that day.

Adam paused in his polishing.  "I told you that I would be staying for a bit."

A year seemed longer than "a bit".  "What about your 'inter-library loan'?"

"Took care of that last night," Adam said.  "Dropped it off at an interesting little tea shop on Fulton Street."

"Why does a tea shop need an ancient manuscript?"

Adam shrugged.  "Reversing a spell, they said.  They're also an herb shop and deal with alternative medicine."  He set aside his sword.  "Portland is an odd city."  He looked over at Jack and the cow.  "Going in for livestock today?"

"This is Jack.  He's taking his cow to the other side of the woods to sell it to a butcher."

Adam blinked.  "Of course he is." 

"Why go all that way to sell the cow?"

Duncan turned around to see a stranger with a run-down push-cart standing near Jack.  He was looking over the cow in appraisal. 

"How much for the cow?" the stranger asked Jack.

Jack looked confused.  "She doesn't give milk any more.  Are you a butcher?"

The stranger laughed.  "No, but I know people who know people.  I'll exchange the cow for something else, then exchange that.  A lot of people owe me favors."  He smiled at Jack.  "Seems like I'd be doing you one, too.  You don't want to sell your cow to the butcher, do you?"

"No," Jack admitted.  "How much can you pay for her?  The butcher offered five hundred dollars."

"I have something better than that," the peddler said.  He opened a jar and showed it to them.

Duncan walked over to the cart; up close, the peddler smelt even more unkempt than his cart looked.  He stared down into the jar.  "Those are beans."

"Magic beans," the peddler corrected.  "Plant them and they will provide anything that you need.  I will give you five of them for the cow."

"Five beans for a cow?"  Duncan gave the man a disgusted look.  "What kind of person are you, trying to trick this boy out of his cow for beans?"

"He's not a person," Adam said, strolling over with his sword in hand.  "He's a _Kackenkopf_. And conning and stealing is just what his people do."

The words sounded like gibberish but the peddler turned pale and, for a moment, Duncan thought he had an insect-like appearance.  "How do you - you're not a Grimm!" the man stammered.

Adam tilted his head and smiled, looking surprisingly older.  "There are older things than Grimms.  Now I suggest you peddle your goods elsewhere."

The man dropped the jar and ran, dragging his cart behind him.  Duncan bent over and picked up the jar.

Jack sighed.  "I guess I'll have to sell her to the butcher now," he said sadly, patting the cow's neck.

"Not necessarily," Adam said.  He pulled out his wallet and removed a ten hundred dollar bills.  "Here, Jack - since I cost you those magic beans."

Jack's eyes widened at the sight but he hesitated.  "You're not going to sell her to the butcher, are you?"

"No, I think I'll see if those herbalists have anything to fix her milk problem," Adam said, patting the cow's neck.  "I've got to pick the book back up in two days.  And milk is always a useful thing to have."

Duncan handed him the jar of beans.  "Don't forget these.  You can always plant them in the garden."

"Are you crazy, MacLeod?" Adam asked.  "Plant magic beans in Portland?  Next thing you know, I'd have giants in the backyard, tromping over everything." 

With a farewell nod, Adam led the cow around the back of the cottage. 

Duncan turned back to Jack who was still standing there, holding the money.  "Tuck that away before anyone sees it," he advised.  "In fact, I'd better walk you home.  You don't want selling the cow to have been for nothing."

Jack obeyed and, with a final look back at the cottage, he turned to follow Duncan back up the path. 

"Don't worry," Duncan said, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.  "I expect that you can come back to visit her.  In fact, I could use some part-time help in the bakery, if you're looking for a job after school."

Jack brightened at that and readily agreed, and they spent the rest of their journey talking over the terms of employment and future visits to Milky-White.  It wasn't until Duncan was making his solo way back to the bakery that he realized that he was thinking fondly about meeting with Adam the next day, and it had nothing to do with Jack or the cow.


	4. The Third Dawn and the Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel in the tower, the prince found the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks. ’Aha!’ she cried mockingly, ’you would fetch your dearest, but Rapunzel is lost to you; you will never see her again.’_   
>    
>  _The prince was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes._
> 
> from "Rapunzel" by the Brothers Grimm
> 
>   _When she stood up the prince looked into her face, and he recognized the beautiful girl who had danced with him. He cried out, "She is my true bride."_
> 
> from "Cinderella" by the Brothers Grimm

Duncan MacLeod woke from an uneasy sleep to find himself in a bed that was familiar from the past two mornings, and found that once again he was fully dressed.  The last thing he recalled was drinking his medicine just before sitting down to get ready for bed.  This time he was awakened by something different - the sound of a baby crying. 

"Thank God you're awake!" said a familiar woman's voice and Lucy entered the room, this time carrying an infant in her arms.  "Here - hold your son.  I need a moment to finish dressing."

Automatically, Duncan cradled the child that she thrust into his arms, looking down into the baby's face.  The child's expression was one of severe unhappiness, and being handed off to someone else seemed to make him even more unhappy as the volume of his cries increased. 

"I think he wants his mother," Duncan said dubiously.

"Don't treat him so delicately - hold him closer," Lucy called to him from the bathroom.

Duncan slid out of bed, carefully holding the infant, and paced the room, jiggling the baby.  It didn't seem to help. 

"Oh, Dunkie!" she protested, coming back into the room and taking the baby back.  Instantly he hushed and she gave Duncan an amused, exasperated look.  "See?  You'd think that you didn't know your own child!"

"I don't!" Duncan said, truthfully.  "You were only five months pregnant just yesterday."

Lucy blinked at him in disbelief.  "That was six months ago!  You remember that day but not the six months since?  You don't remember the birth of our son?  They swore to me that you would remember that!"

"Who - "

"Never mind," she said, biting the side of her thumb.  "It's working on Kit - why isn't it working on you?" she moaned.

Uneasy and wanting to put some distance between them, Duncan muttered about the need to open the shop and slipped into the bathroom with a change of clothes.  Forgoing a shower, he changed quickly and went downstairs.  Once again, Cyndi was absent and he wondered if she had quit two days ago - or was it two years?  How could six months have passed without him remembering a day of it, and yet he recalled those two days with absolute clarity?

And was Adam still living in the cottage in the woods?

The morning was busy as usual, keeping Duncan from thinking about his situation.  But as he was sweeping the patio out front, he saw a young man stumbling towards him.  The man had his hands pressed against his eyes and was crying out for help, and Duncan rushed to his aid.

"I've been stung by bees," the young man moaned.  "Like thorns piercing my eyes!"

Duncan led him to one of the cafe tables, then rushed inside for the first aid kit while he called 911.  He popped a blister-pack of antihistamine capsules and put them in the young man's hand. 

"Take these, they should help.  I've called for an ambulance - "

"No!" the young man protested after swallowing the pills.  "I can't go to the hospital!"

"You have to - "

"She's taken my fiance - she'll hide her where I can't find her!  If only she hadn't set the bees on me," he moaned.  "All I have is a braid of her hair."

"Look, maybe I can help look for her - or we can call the police.  I know two detectives.  What's your fiance's name?"

"Rapunzel - "

"Eugene!" came a sudden shriek from across the street and Duncan turned around to see that a young woman with badly-cut blonde hair was standing on the edge of the woods.  Without paying any attention to traffic, she darted across the road to them. "Eugene!"

"Rapunzel!" he cried out, turning sightless eyes towards her voice.

"Oh, Eugene, what did she do to you?" she cried, running trembling fingers over his injured face and bursting into tears.

"Darling, don't cry," he said in a choked voice.  "I don't matter - you're safe and I - "  He stopped and blinked his eyes which were covered by her teardrops.  "I can see you!"

She stopped crying and smiled tremulously down at him.  "Oh my dearest1"  She began kissing his eyes and then his lips.

The paramedics arrived then.  Even though his eyesight was improving, it was clear that he'd had an allergic reaction so they decided to take him to the hospital to be checked out.  Rapunzel went with him, and Duncan hoped that everything worked out for them.  As he cleaned up the table he realized that the young man had dropped the braid, so he put it in his pocket until he could return it to him.

The lunch crowd started up which kept him busy until suddenly Cyndi came storming into the shop.

"Cyndi!" he said in surprise.  "I thought you quit."

She rounded on him, her face fierce.  "Why would I quit?  It's my father's shop - it's _my_ shop!  It's all I have now."  Cyndi jerked an apron off the counter and put it on.

The door burst open again and a young man ran in.  "Cyndi, stop - wait - "

Cyndi turned round and slapped him across the face.  "You said that you loved me!"

"I do!"

"Then why did you sleep with my step-sister, Flora?"

"I don't know.  She gave me something to drink - "

Cyndi laughed harshly.  "That's your excuse, Kit?  You were drunk?  For three days?"

She lunged at him again and Duncan got in between them, keeping them apart.  "Take it easy, you two!  Hitting doesn't solve anything."

"I swear, I didn't know what was happening, didn't remember anything until today," Kit said.  "I was going through the pockets of my jacket and found this."  He pulled out a small gold-colored shoe to show her.

"You kept it?" Cyndi asked, seeming emotional over the sight of the shoe.

"Of course I did," he said tenderly.  "It's how I found you to begin with."

"Oh, Kit!" Cyndi sighed dreamily, and Duncan stepped back so that she could embrace her fiance.  After a brief, passionate kiss, she pulled back and said, "You need to file a complaint against her," she said firmly.

Kit nodded and put the shoe back in his pocket.  "Yes.  Right now.  We can't let them get away with this."

Hand in hand, the two left the shop, neither noticing that the shoe had fallen out of his pocket.  Duncan picked it up and set it on the counter with the braid of hair.  He felt unsettled, as if he was on the edge of something.  And something that Kit had said resonated within him.

The lunch rush ended and he began cleaning up the shop. He thought about Adam again, wanted to go see him, but was that wrong of him?

As he was finishing up, Lucy came down the stairs, carrying the baby and looking irritated.  "Here, take the child!"

Duncan reluctantly accepted the baby and he immediately began crying.  "Why does he always cry when I hold him?"

She looked at him, exasperated.  "Well, you needn't hold him like he's fragile!"

"I think he wants his mother."

"I can't take care of him all the time!" Lucy snapped.

Duncan tried to adjust his hold on the child which just made him howl even more. 

Lucy growled and stomped across the room to scoop up the baby.  "Anyone would think that you didn't love or even want your own son!" she accused him.

Duncan wanted to protest that _of course_ he loved his son, _of course_ he wanted him, but something choked back the words.  The soul-deep feeling that something was wrong jangled through every fiber of his body.  He stayed silent.

"You _aren't_ going to tell me that you love me, are you?" Lucy said angrily.  "You're not going to kiss me, or call him you son, or anything - are you?"  When Duncan didn't reply she ground her teeth and shoved the baby at him again.  "I'm going to see Mother and talk to that - that _woman_."  Then she stormed out of the store.

Duncan looked down at the baby in his arms and then around the shop.  His eyes fell on the hair and the shoe, and slowly things began to shift in his mind.  "Well, it looks like we are going to pay a visit to a friend of mine after all."

* * *

Adam was sitting outside the cottage, his feet propped up on a bench as he sipped a beer.  "Look what the cat dragged in," he said as Duncan approached, then his eyes narrowed as he saw what Duncan was carrying.  "Into baby-sitting now?"

"Not exactly."  Duncan set the carrier down on the bench.  "Lucy says that this is my son."

"And Lucy is the wife, right?" 

Duncan nodded.

Adam leaned forward and looked into the carrier, then carefully sat back.  "MacLeod, I don't know exactly how to tell you this, but that isn't your son."

"I didn't think so.  Yesterday she was five months pregnant.  The day before she said that we'd been married a month."  Duncan paused.  "It's only been three days, hasn't it?  Not two years."

Adam nodded.  "You haven't claimed the child as your son, have you?  Because _that_ is not a human baby, or even a pre-immortal one.  It's a changeling."

"A - like in fairy stories?" 

Adam nodded and touched the child's forehead while muttering something.  A moment later there was a wooden doll where the child had been.

Duncan stared at the block of wood for a moment.  "You know, oddly enough that doesn't surprise me.  Lately my life has felt like a fairy tale.  Today, for example, a young man came in carrying this."  He pulled the braid out of his pocket and laid it on the table.  "From his fiance.  He'd been blinded but somehow when she cried on him, it healed his injury.  Then my wife's sister came into the shop, followed by her fiance.  It seems that he'd been sleeping with her other sister, only he claimed that she drugged him and he didn't remember anything until he found this."  He pulled the shoe from his other pocket and set it beside the braid.

"That got me thinking.  I don't have any memories before two mornings ago.  I woke up with a woman that I don't remember telling me that we're married.   She said that I was attacked and that caused the memory loss.  I'm thinking that maybe that charming two-timer I just met was telling the truth and we have something in common."

Adam ran his fingers up and down the bottle.  "There was a friend of yours, an old friend.  He lost his memory following an attack of sorts, except that he lost his present memory - started living in the past.  However, my new acquaintances at that spice and tea shop have heard of this sort of thing.  Potions that make people forget everything else but person dosing them, becoming ensnared by them."

"But that didn't happen to me," Duncan said.  "I didn't become ensnared by Lucy.  I don't have any urge to kiss her or make love to her.  And that really upset her.  So she - what?  Pretended she was pregnant?  Got a fake baby?"

"It's more than that.  There's a Hexenbeist - a witch - involved in this."

"So what do we do to fix me?" Duncan asked.

Adam scratched his head.  "Well, we could try making an antidote potion.  We have a cow, beans, a red cap, golden hair, and a shoe."

"And maybe I should just trying kissing someone else," Duncan said.  " 'My own true love' as they say in some of the fairy tales.  See if that does anything."

Adam cocked his head.  "Any candidates come to mind?"

"Just one," Duncan said.  Then he leaned forward and kissed Adam, before he could have any second thoughts.

It wasn't exactly like the earth moved.  It was more as if everything that had been tangled and confused in his mind was suddenly made clear.  The fog lifted as he pulled back from the kiss.  And then he smiled.

"Hello, Methos."

 


	5. The Last Dawn and Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Sometimes people leave you_   
>  _Halfway through the wood_   
>  _Others may deceive you_   
>  _You decide what’s good_   
>  _You are not alone_   
>  _No one is alone._

Duncan MacLeod woke from a restful sleep to find himself alone in a bed that was familiar from the past three mornings, and found that this time he was naked.  Which was not a surprise, considering with whom he had shared the bed.  

And, oddly enough, he wasn't worried that he'd woken up alone.

He showered and dressed in one of his sets of clothes, then packed the rest of his belongings into the suitcase at the back of the closet.  Then he went downstairs.

Cyndi was in the store, which was closed for the day, but she was busy directing workmen with changes to the shop.  Kit was sitting at a nearby table, drinking coffee and drawing on napkins.  Duncan looked over his shoulder at them and Kit, seeing him, slid them forward so he could get a better look.

"Marketing ideas," Kit said.  "That's what I majored in."

"Any good?"

Kit's smile widened.  "Well, you know marketing - my designs are charming if not sincere.  But I intend to do my best for Cyndi."

"Good, because she deserves it.  Oh, and I advise you two to get couples' counseling."

Duncan stepped outside the bakery and found the two detectives had just pulled up outside.  "Detectives Burkholdt and Griffin," he said as they got out of their car.  "I hope you've got good news for me?"

Burkholdt nodded.  "Thanks to your complaint, and that of Christopher Prince, we've arrested Mrs. Tremaine and her two daughters, on charges of drugging both of you, fraud and deception, and attempted sexual assault."

Griffin added, "The daughters started singing like birds.  You'll be interested to know that we've found evidence that Mrs. Tremaine murdered her late husband and his partner."

Duncan frowned.  "I thought the partner was killed by a bear."

The two detectives exchanged a look.  "In a manner of speaking."

"This is one of those weird Portland things, isn't it?" Duncan asked.  "Never mind - I don't want to know."

Duncan picked up his suitcase and crossed the road to the park.  Reaching the cottage, he wasn't surprised that he didn't feel Methos' buzz.  He _was_ a bit surprised to find Red and Jack sitting at the dining table while Granny puttered around the kitchen.  

"Hello," he said, setting down his suitcase.  "How are all of you doing?"

"Much better," Granny said, setting down a cup of tea for him. "I've moved back into the cottage now that your friend is going home.  It isn't safe to leave this place unguarded."

"I expect not."

"Jack and I have been sharing our stories," Red said enthusiastically.  "And Granny wants me to spend afternoons here, learning how to manage the Cottage.  Mother's signed me up for self-defense classes."

Jack nodded, his mouth full of cookies.  Once he'd swallowed, he added, "Mother was so happy with the money.  Mr. Adam gave me back Milky-White, and she's giving milk again!  And Miss Cyndi agreed that I'm to start work at the end of the week, when the shop reopens."

Duncan nodded.  "Good luck to all of you, then.  I don't expect that I'll be back in Portland any time soon."

"And good luck to you, too, Mr. Baker," Granny said.  "Keep your head."

He smiled widely.  "I intend to."

Back at the street, Duncan hailed a cab to the airport.  His ticket was in his pocket, the ticket that he'd found on the dresser that morning.  He checked his suitcase and passed through security, then settled into his first class seat on the plane to Seacouver.

"Glad you made the flight," said his seat-partner, handing him a drink.  "Cutting it a bit close, though."

"I had to say good-bye to a few people first," Duncan replied.  He took a sip of the champagne and raised his eyebrow at the fine quality. "The good stuff, then."

"Of course," Methos said, lifting his own glass and taking an appreciative sip.  "I put it all on your credit card - after all, I spent a thousand dollars on a _cow_."

"I wouldn't expect anything else.  What are we celebrating then?"

"Returning home, with hopes that we never have to go back to Portland again during our long, long lives," Methos replied.

Duncan thought for a moment, then shook his head.  "No.  We're drinking to Happily Ever Afters, for everyone."

Methos smiled and clinked glasses with him. "I'll drink to that."

 

The End

 


End file.
